


Crimson Paladin

by Paraphilic_Nerd



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Canon, Character Death, Gen, Heavy Angst, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron)-centric, POV First Person, Protective Lance (Voltron), Red Paladin Lance (Voltron), Sad Ending, Voltron: Legendary Defender Season/Series 07, What-If, implied klance, implied pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-08-29 07:22:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16739602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paraphilic_Nerd/pseuds/Paraphilic_Nerd





	Crimson Paladin

“What if I can’t do it Keith? What if Red doesn’t come to me?” 

“Don’t worry Lance, Red has saved my life numerous times. You trust me right?”

I swallow softly and nod, “Yeah, of course I do Keith…..with my life.” The anxiousness still fills my heart though, weighing it down heavily. My thoughts second guessing what I had just said. The plan was amazing...if everything went correctly. If no one screwed up their part of the arrangement. He had lied somewhat to him, he of course did trust him with his life, he just didn’t trust his life with his lion. He didn’t fully connect, what if their bond wasn’t as strong as he thought it was? He thought his and Blue’s were and...look where that got him. Taken to the next lion to fulfill their paladin’s role. Replacing him as Keith went onto better things.

Keith nodded, giving me a reassuring look that seemed to just pierce my heart with anxiety. Knowing that he trusted me to do this, if I didn’t, I was letting him down. But I just smiled back and was about to talk again. Something I had wanted to say for a long time now, but just as I was, Shiro called back to us. 

“Let’s go!” 

“We’ll be right there Shiro!” Keith hollering before turning back to me. “You alright to go or do you need a few more minutes? I can hold it off if you really need me too.” 

”Yeah, of course I’m okay. This isn’t my first rodeo.” I smirked, drawing out an accent for the second sentence to tease Keith, seeing if I could draw out a small laugh. I could see his own anxiousness that he tended to hide ever so well. Not to mention, he just needed it in general from being so grumpy and serious all the time. He had gotten better though. 

Keith rolled his eyes, letting out a soft chuckle.

Mission accomplished. 

”Shut up. Let’s go you idiot.” He said walking past me, patting my shoulder as he did. ”Of course, whatever you say sir.” 

With one last clarification from the garrison we left for the mission. 

As Veronica began to drive to get us into position, I did my part, closing my eyes and trying to summon Red. Concentrating on our energies with one another. I kept my shoulders relax as I focused on my breathing and remaining calm. I know Red was gonna come, she wouldn’t just leave me hanging. Especially with such an important mission. I focused in, trying to connect with her like we had previously before. Just as I had begun to feel us link with one another, the galra had already found us and began to shoot at the vehicle. Lasers firing down at us like pillars of death. It broke my concentration with Red, leaving me distracted as I focused on the task in hand which was trying not to get us dead. 

The car jerked around as they attack us, a beam just barely skimming the car, I clung onto the safety handles, looking backwards for just a split second before looking forward again, “We’ve been spotted!” 

The anxiety I had been feeling before maximized excruciatingly more than it had been before, especially with Veronica behind the wheel, jolting the car around like it was a little kid playing a race car game that they didn’t know how to operate yet.

“Watch out, okay!? Be careful!” 

”I know!” She growled in frustration 

She weaved in between the attacks. The car stuttering and speeding up with every single avoidance she did towards their assaults, that were always just a little too close for his liking. 

As the one droid fighter pilot began to catch up to us, Veronica glanced back and sped up, trying to keep control over the car as it had become harder to maneuver. I turned back around myself, feeling the presences of the aircraft, seeing that it was right behind us and aiming at the center, almost perfectly as we drove in a straight line. Aka the worse combination there was in this sort of situation. 

”Veronica! Look out!” 

Before she could swerve out of the way, the pilot shot one of the back tires, flipping us over to the side as we tumbled. The world seemed to accelerate and slow down all at the same while, my eyes landing on my sister as I held her back in her seat, my arm which I seemed to have no control over anymore being placed onto her chest. The car turning, twisting, and turning as I shut my eyes feeling the automobile jerk us around in all directions like it couldn’t decide where to go. 

The next thing I know, I was laying on the ground. Everything had turned to black as my body couldn’t move from the immense pain it was feeling. I was hearing so many things though. The ringing in my ear the most noticeable at the moment, it wasn’t the sort I was used to. It was blood curdling and numbing, as I began to open my eyes slowly, the daze of the situation beginning to rise as I remembered where I was and what sort of situation I was in. The first thing I could hear besides the ringing was Keith’s voice that sounded panicked and worried.

_“...Lance?...Lance come in. Lance!”_

I winced in pain as I began to get up. The pain radiating throughout my entire body. I didn’t know how I was moving, but I was. As I continued to start to organize everything that had seemed to rattle out of my mind. I stretched my back slightly, before remembering, 

Veronica. 

The panic began to settle back into my system, knocking me fully awake as I glanced around for her. “Veronica. Veronica!” I turned completely to see her laying down on a rock, still unconscious and closer to the crossfire. A small “No” slipping from my lips as I began to run over to her as fast I could.

She had to be okay. She had to. She’s my older sister. This couldn’t be the end for her. I just got her back. My thoughts of all the worse and best casionarios ran throughout my mind as I made my way over. When I finally got to her, my mind seemed to silence for once in my entire life. I went down onto my knees, gently moving her body as I began to see the damage that had happened to her. “Veronica…?” 

As I said that, her eyes began to flicker open. Letting me finally breathe out a sigh of relief that I didn’t even know I was holding in. “...Lance…?” she said quietly. 

All I could do was smile at her voice. “Veronica, you’re okay.” I said softly to myself mostly rather than to her. 

However, the scene came to a closing as we were thrown back into the fight. A laser going past my head as I turned my head to look over at what was causing it. The droids had made their way onto the ground and were shooting at us to get a more clear shot at us. 

Thinking quickly, I took out my shield and made sure that Veronica was behind it and began to shoot all of them down. Shot after shot, hearing the clank of the metal go down as it happened. The heat of the situation was getting to me. So much was at risk right now. The plan, my sister,...my life. 

Then I heard it, the fighter pilot from before began to head right towards us. It aimed their shot as us, beams of bright purple, causing the ground to heat up going right beside us. Sweat beading down my face, I tried to get my much smaller gun and shoot it down from the ground. Not seeing much of any other option and not exactly thinking straight. 

The bullets sliding off the ship as if it was nothing, the metal was obviously a lot more stronger than the droids that were on the ground. 

As it came towards us, i knew what I needed to do. I kicked Veronica out of the way, her tumbling to the side and rolling from the force I had given. I closed my eyes, as I moved out of the way. Trying to concentrate on Red. Desperate. 

However,...nothing came. 

The ship hit my side, causing something I know to shift that wasn’t supposed to. I reopened my eyes and when I did, I was met with the aircraft, looming over me. It readied it’s aim again and I was caught in the crossfire. The shot going through the shoulder, stomach, and leg. 

I dropped down onto the ground instantly, my back to the ground as I looked up at the blue skies that seemed to be turning a crimson red. My body felt a million times heavier than it usually did, shaking. I didn’t know if I should have been grateful or more scared about the fact that the pain had begun to numb throughout my entire body. 

Was this how death felt like? Not being able to move as the world around me did? Was I gonna be remembered? If I am remembered would be good...or just as the dumb one...? Did I at least help…? Would my family be okay? Why did everything seemed so unfinished? Couldn’t anyone answer my question? Why did I feel alone? 

My mind began to shut down though, going in and out of consciousness. I heard two voices though…..At least I thought so. 

Veronica and Keith…. 

At first, their yelling was distant, but then a second later my sister was by my side. I guess time really did seem to be different. She went and lifted me into her lap as she applied pressure to the wounds. 

”You’ll be okay, you’ll be okay Lanu...I’m not gonna leave you. Just stay with me…” She said as she seemed to wipe something off my face with her other hand. Had I been crying or was it just blood?

No...no...she can’t be with me….the fighter….she had to run. She needed to run. I was too exhausted though. I couldn’t say anything. 

I heard fighting in the background though. She probably called for backup. We sure as hell couldn’t handle it. Not like this at least.

I began to drift again though, I heard her calling out to me. I thought she was right there? 

Maybe I was hallucinating? 

Maybe I was alone…. 

Finally I was in darkness as I felt my eyes flutter close for one last time. 

Guess she didn’t come…. 

~ 

After Keith had finished off the last of the fighter pilot, he got out of his lion immediately. He ran towards the two figures in the short distance, knowing it was Veronica and Lance. He needed to make sure Lance was okay. He needed to be okay. 

As he got closer to the two, seeing that they were alright. A wave of relief came over him as he slowed down, till he stopped as he saw it. The blood covering the blue and white of Lance’s suit. His skin abnormally pale for his tan skin. Veronica, weeping over his body. Keith felt the air leave his body as everything seemed to have stood still in time, the only thing seeming to be continuing on was the sound of his heart throbbing and bleeding into his ears. 

”No, no, Lance…..Please god no….” he said as his feet seemed to drift over to the body. Moving without his permission, he fell down onto his knees as he looked over to the cold bloodied figure in front of him. 

~

“You said once that you didn’t think people feared death, not really at least. They feared the unknown for what comes after, the knowledge that everything would stop, that we wouldn’t be able to continue on with the plans we might have made, with the relationships we wanted to continue. 

You said, ‘I hope that I won’t be scared of it when it comes to that.’ That the afterlife would be peaceful, that you would be able to see the stars and drift along them for the rest of eternity. And god, I hope that’s true. But we’d never really know would we? The only thing that I know is that time is moving on here. And I want you back. Though, at least we accomplished the mission…. You’re a hero! You finally got your parade….though I bet you would have loved to have seen it. But you didn’t….you didn’t…. Veronica….she took up the mantle. You would have been traumatized I’m sure. I saw how you hated seeing her on the field. But everything is alright now so it doesn’t really matter…. 

I-I’m sorry you trusted me…..

I’m sorry I never said those three words to you….”


End file.
